Walker out scores Hayes

[kyzrex]

If I may be allowed to take this just a little further....

The DESIRE to be great, and the WILL to put in the preparation and work necessary to BE great is what Xavier BB is ALL ABOUT. Not just the kids, the players, or the coaches, but the WHOLE PROGRAM. Just look at where this program is NOW and compare it to where it WAS. It has been a wonderful journey, filled with more ups than downs, and the “promised land” is in sight. There is still one last Mountain to climb, but I do not doubt any longer that it WILL be climbed. Xavier has shown that they (the University and athletics departments) have not just a will to win, but a will to do what it takes to make it happen...a will to prepare. I am proud to be an alumni and a fan, and I am proud to say that Xavier has done it the RIGHT WAY, a way that we can all be proud of.

[oldhoopster2]

Xavier has a pretty good record of developing bigs.

Just my personal opinion, but I don't know that I agree with this statement, at least not in the last several years. JLove may have been the last to 'develop' at X and from what I understand, he spent lots of off season time doing so. KFrease really didn't develop. JMcLean and JReynolds didn't develop much and were not big factors offensively and at times defensively, though they had some highlight dunks. We had a couple more serviceable transfer bigs but I wouldn't say XU 'developed' them. SO'Mara has improved some over his 4 years and TJones appears to be making great strides, so maybe it's getting better, but our record in the Miller/Mack years is so so. I've watched these bigs shoot prior to games and most of them can knock down a short 8-10 foot range shot, but I don't think it's allowed by the coaching staff, cause they only shoot 3-4 a year. Is it lack of confidence, fear or directives, I don't know. But if a big man can knock down a shot now and then, the middle might not always be as clogged and they might not get so many travelling calls and shots blocked. Sometimes I think our bigs think to much and between that and putting the ball on the floor too often, leads to help defense swarming around them. And few of our bigs in those years was a big rebounder. Boxing out can be taught. Again, just one man's opinion.

[Lead Guitar]

James Farr---quite a development over four years. You might not consider him a bigs" but Josh Duncan, changed or added to his game.

[XU85]

James Farr---quite a development over four years. You might not consider him a bigs" but Josh Duncan, changed or added to his game.

You beat me to it! I was preparing to suggest that perhaps Old Hoopster was having a senior moment!

[Anti-Homer]

Xavier has a pretty good record of developing bigs. I don’t know this kid at all, but for some reason I have the feeling that he WANTS to become a better player. That desire to develop is 1/2 the battle . I’m not going to bet against it happening. I’d almost rather have someone that comes in rough and unpolished, but has the DESIRE to prove his critics wrong, than I would to have someone that comes in with all kinds of hype, but thinks he has it made and doesn’t want to work to improve.

One of the all time greats once said that it wasn’t the “will to win” that was important. It was the “will to prepare to win”, that was.

With Bluiett X has a kid that not only has the physical talent and ability to win, but has the mental toughness and desire to do the preparation necessary to improve and become good enough to win....the will to win AND the will to prepare, along with the natural talent and ability. That’s what makes him, along with players like Larkin, West, etc. so special.

But we have also seen kids come into this program (and others) that had all of the God given talent in the world, yet never got any better because they rested on their laurels. The didn’t have the “will to prepare”, only the “will to win”.

I enjoy watching the kids that have that “will to prepare”, even if they don’t have all of the natural talent and ability that some of the others have. I enjoy watching them develop. A college career is seemingly over in a blink of an eye when you are in it, but it’s a journey of a lifetime when you are looking back. Enjoy the journey. I’m not going to bet against this kid, I’m going to root for him.

That desire to develop is 1/2 the battle .

I think desire is 1/10000 of the battle. That should be a minimal pre-requisite, like assuming that he can breathe when his lungs move. Do you really think there are D-1 players who do have the desire to work on their game and get better? Can you name a current/former Xavier player who had tremendous skills, but lacked desire? No one had more desire to be a great QB than Tim Tebow, and we obviously see how that turned out. I think every D-1 coach would take a polished, skilled kid 10 out of 10 time over any other attribute.

It's ok to say we have a kid who is an anomaly in terms of whom X usually recruits, and his stats and physical-athletic makeup are underwhelming. He's a 7 footer that plays in a small Catholic League and averaged 6 pts and 7 boards a game. I think I could do that now if I played. I wonder why when we recruited Dez, Semaj, Scruggs, Bluiett, and other highly rated recruits, no one said, "They may be highly rated, but we don't know if they have the desire."

As usual, I will root for Mr. Walter to succeed, even if the ceiling for him turns out to be similar to production at Cov Cath, as long as he works hard, does his best, and represents the university well. As someone who is a "glass 9/10 full type of guy," I think he is going to develop into a James Farr type player. If I put on my objectivity hat, I'll just say I do believe he'll be a great teammate and student-athlete. #Realist.

[kyzrex]

Anti you can’t read.....

Every player has the desire to improve

Few players have the desire to put in the work needed to do so

The players that have that burning desire to put in the work are the ones that don’t need to be told to shot free throws on their own. They are the players that you have to kick out of the gym, not beg or threaten to get them to show up for practice on time. They are the players that do the extra sets in the weight room or do some extra running on their own. They are the players that push themselves beyond what the average player does.

Just look at how many kids come into college as “can’t miss” prospects and never pan out....not just at X, but all across the country. You can measure height, reach, weight, strength.....but you can’t measure heart. Heart/desire can make a bad player good, and a good player great. But LACK of heart can take a great athlete and turn him into not just a “has been”, but a “never was”.

Heart/desire is not 1/1000, 1/100, or 1/2 of the equation...it’s almost everything.

Believe me when I tell you that it one of the things that college coaches always evaluate when looking at prospects and when making judgements about player potential......and it’s one of the hardest things to judge quickly and accurately.

[kyzrex]

James Farr---quite a development over four years. You might not consider him a bigs" but Josh Duncan, changed or added to his game.

Let’s not forget Stainbrook either! Went from the garbage heap of Cleveland State to a solid player and leader who is making a living playing overseas.

[oldhoopster2]

James Farr didn’t ‘develop’ until late his Jr year when they convinced him that his role was a rebounder and put back man. Josh Duncan was forced to be a big and adjusted to that role we’ll, but was not really in that role in his early years. Stain was one of the serviceable bigs that transferred so maybe he developed his game at X, I dont know. But one or two is not what I’d call a good record. A big man should be a rebounder and few X bigs recently were consistent on the glass. Farr was by far the best in that regard. I love X but we’ve lived off our guards for years. As for senior moments, I have them often .

[oldhoopster2]

Wow that’s a big emoticon

[kyzrex]

So Oldhoop, how far back do you want to go back?

Grant, West, Love, Farr, Stainbrook, Posey, Braggs, Duncan,.....

Sure there have been players that never reached their true potential or didn’t develop the way we all hoped they would.....Freese, Robinson, Philmore, Reynolds......you can’t win them all.

But Xavier does have a national reputation for developing forwards and centers. IMO it’s well deserved based on its history over the last many years. I hope that some of that magic rubs of on Walter. It seems to be happening with Jones and Gates.